wiredInUSA April 2017

History goes to the wire

Thomas J Barnes patent 1907. Photograph courtesy of collectorsweekly.com

Mike Call of Nevada is a barbed wire aficionado and a member of the Antique Barbed Wire Society and the California Barbed Wire Collectors Association. Collectors share their fascination with barbedwire, and the history it represents, at gatherings such as the Western Collectibles show, sponsored by the California Barbed Wire Collectors Association and this year to be held in Minden, Nevada. “The whole idea is to bring back history,” Call said: “We want to keep people interested in history.” Call first became interested in barbed wire after seeing a small collection at a state fair in 1969. He bought a book about it, and his passion “Took off from there.”

patented, but even more were made without patents. “There are some rare pieces out there that are just absolutely beautiful,” Call said. “I never cut a farmer’s fence. I always walk the fence long enough that I can find a piece.” When barbed wire was first patented it was sold by the pound rather than by the foot, so the goal was to make wire strands that were both light and effective. Wires with elaborate and heavy barb patterns were unpopular, due to their cost, but these short-lived patterns are the most coveted by collectors. Call has never traveled overseas to collect, but an uncle once brought back pieces from Italy and Germany. Call commented: “He had a hard time getting that briefcase on the airplane.”

Barbed wire was first patented in the mid- 1800s. Over 1,000 barbed wire types were

wiredInUSA - April 2017

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